Getting divorced is tough enough as it is, but the process can become even more trying when you’re dealing with a lying spouse. When your spouse struggles to tell the truth, every little issue in your divorce can feel like a battle. The resulting frustration and stress can drive you to give in to your spouse’s demands out of a desire to simply resolve the matter quickly. While that’s understandable to certain extent, it can also leave you in a difficult position post-divorce. So, instead of giving into your spouse and their lying ways, you have to find a way to combat the falsehoods being perpetuated in your case.
But how can you set the record straight when your spouse is such a convincing habitual liar? That can be a difficult question to answer. However, in this post we hope to give you some ideas so that you can develop a legal strategy that protects your interests throughout the divorce process.
There are a lot of ways to address a spouse who refuses to acknowledge the truth. You have to find the path that best suits the goals you hope to accomplish through your marriage dissolution. Here are some tips that we hope you’ll find helpful in that regard:
- Find documentary evidence to support your position: Your spouse can say all they want, but if you have financial records and other documentation that unequivocally back up what you’re stating is the truth, then the court will be hard pressed to side with your spouse. So, get organized and be prepared to refer to these records when your spouse starts misconstruing the facts.
- Attack credibility: Some liars are so adept at what they do that their account of events can be compelling. But if you can highlight how your spouse has made prior inconsistent statements or has been caught lying in the past, then you could damage their credibility with the court, which means the court may give their testimony very little weight.
- Document contact with your spouse in a journal: Your spouse might change their story every time you talk to them. That’s okay so long as you document it somehow. Doing so will create a clear timeline of their lies and give you the ability to read back what they previously said. This will make their lies all the more obvious to everyone involved, including the judge overseeing your case.
- Use experts: Your spouse could lie about any number of things. Some of those lies may require expert testimony to combat them. For example, if your spouse lies about their bond with your child in hopes of securing sole physical custody, then you might need a mental health professional who has examined your child to testify to what your child is experiencing and what sort of custody arrangement is best for them.
It can be incredibly stressful to deal with a lying spouse. But you don’t have to let your spouse get away with their actions. Instead, you should diligently work to establish a divorce legal strategy that sets the record straight and protects your interests. If that’s something that you’d like assistance with, then consider discussing the matter with your divorce attorney. By doing so, you may be able to find an avenue to secure the outcome and the future that you want despite your spouse’s incessant lying.